Posted Wednesday, April 10, 2013 01:57 PM
1* Take San Diego
(#964)
This is a straight ‘fade’ of Chad Billingsley in his 2013
MLB debut. Billingsley came on strong
after the All Star break last year following a 4-9 start to the campaign, but a
torn ligament in his elbow cut his season short.
Billingsley avoided surgery, but his rehab has not been
without problems, including a badly bruised index finger on his throwing hand
from a bunting drill in spring training.
He finished the spring allowing seven runs in just 7.2 innings of
work. His minor league rehab start last
week was equally problematic, struggling with his control in another subpar
effort. I’m not expecting vintage
Billingsley tonight!
San Diego bounced back strong yesterday following a dismal
1-5 road trip to open the season – two series where they were outscored by a
combined 40-14 margin. The Padres lineup
pounded out nine runs; their first legitimate outburst in the reconfigured,
more hitter friendly confines of Petco Field.
And let’s not forget that the Padres ranked among the top eight MLB
money winners at home last year, despite finishing ten games under .500
overall.
Padres starter Eric Stults threw seven innings of one run
ball in his lone start against the Dodgers last year. The Padres have won nine of his last eleven starts,
despite the fact ... [More]